


Let your heart be light

by frostysunflowers



Series: May your days be merry and bright [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Fluff, Light Angst, Reunions, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21710167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostysunflowers/pseuds/frostysunflowers
Summary: ''Uh, Tony...''''Yeah?''''I don’t...I don’t think I’m going to make it back. Back for Christmas, I mean.''
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: May your days be merry and bright [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638517
Comments: 35
Kudos: 572





	Let your heart be light

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a response to the prompt Home for Christmas/Surprise Christmas reunion on tumblr, but I loved writing it so much that I decided to post it as a fic here too! Shameless fluff and sappy stuff abound, folks, cos it's Christmas time and I can't help myself. 
> 
> This is a written very quickly, not edited much one, I hope you enjoy! <3

''Are you coming to bed?''

Tony tears his gaze away from the fireplace to look up at Pepper. She smiles at him as she sinks a hand into his hair and trails her nails gently across his scalp. ''You look exhausted.''

''I’m fine,'' Tony says, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch. ''Got me some mince pies and a carrot to bite.''

''Lucky you.''

''Mm,'' Tony hums. ''Reckon we’ll get to sleep in late this year?''

''If that girl isn’t dancing on your stomach by four am, I’ll be very surprised.''

Tony smiles, the image of an overexcited, happy Morgan immediately skipping through his mind. It makes a valiant effort to smother the disappointment that’s been festering inside of him since yesterday, but ultimately the bitterness wins out. 

''He’ll be home soon,'' Pepper tells him gently. 

Tony doesn’t say anything. He knows Pepper’s right, that Peter will appear sometime before the New Year, but that knowledge isn’t good enough.

Pepper, sensing that he’s nowhere near close to heading up to bed, bends down to kiss his forehead, lips lingering sweetly on his skin for a moment before she heads up the stairs. Tony watches her go the whole way up and then turns his attention back to the fireplace. The flames are dying down now, flickering lazy with one another beneath the string of twinkly lights that sit on the mantle amongst tasteful sprinklings of fake holly leaves. 

He stares for a while until he tips his head back with a sigh, thoughts drifting to the conversation that he and Peter had over the phone a few days ago, the one that had drained Tony of nearly every ounce of his Christmas spirit. 

_''Hey, kiddo! I hope you’re hungry ‘cause I think there’s enough food here to satisfy even your ferocious metabolism for a whole month.''_

_''Uh...that’s - that’s great, Mister Stark.''_

_''Kid, can you stop with the Mister Stark thing? I’ve even asked you nicely. You managed to call me Tony at least twice during our last conversation so I think that proves you can do it.''_

_''Sorry Mist - I mean, sorry, Tony.''_

_''You sound like you’re severely lacking in Christmas spirit over there, Underoos. I hope you know that only those with the right amount of festive cheer will be permitted entry into Chez Stark. I’ve already turfed Happy out twice this week for eating some of the mince pies. That man has no remorse.''_

_''Uh, Tony...''_

_''Yeah?''_

_''I don’t...I don’t think I’m going to make it back. Back for Christmas, I mean.''_

_''...Pete - ''_

_''I just have so much work to get done. I pulled so many shifts at the coffee house these last few weeks that I fell a bit behind so, uh, I need to catch up a bit.''_

_''Right. Okay, yeah, I understand. You gotta do what you gotta do, kid.''_

_''I’m sorry.''_

_''Me too, buddy. Me too.''_

Tony flinches as he replays the words in his head, the memory of the teary tremor of Peter’s voice pricking at him like a dozen needles. He knew he wasn’t the only one disappointed by Peter’s choice to stay at college instead of coming home. May had, according to Happy, burst into tears as soon as she had hung up the phone after hearing the news herself. But she, like Tony, knows that they can’t fault Peter for making the adult decision, for doing the right thing like he always does. 

So Tony had tucked Peter’s presents to the back of the pile under the tree and tried his best to not dwell on it, but now it’s late on Christmas Eve and the reality of the situation is heavy and insistent, digging into him with sharp claws and refusing to let go. 

Having spent every Christmas together since half the universe was brought back to life, Tony finds it hard to shake off that sense of emptiness that has settled in his gut. He knows on some level that he’s being dramatic - after all, Peter’s only at college this time, not viciously snatched out of the world like before. 

But he still can’t help but feel it, can barely push back against the jaw clenching ache that comes from missing Peter. It’s somehow as fierce as it was during those long five years, even with the kid now only a phone call away - an actual phone call, not the voicemail of a person who can no longer answer for themselves. 

He’s still in the world, out there a few hours away, making a life for himself outside of Queens, outside of Spider-Man. 

And isn’t this what Tony spent so long mourning, so long dreaming of? The opportunity for Peter to have something of a normal life, to be alive and well and able to go out and make his mark, to experience the staples of life that people so often take for granted? Going to college was something Peter had wanted for so long - an achievement that had made Tony and everybody else so infinitely proud - and with it comes the first steps into adulthood, the faltering trips into a part of life where Peter has to make the harder choices, where Tony will have less and less power to make things better, much as he hates to admit it. 

He can’t make this situation better and even if he could, he knows Peter won't let him interfere. 

So here he sits, defeated and miserable, wishing like a child on Christmas night for something magical to happen. 

As the fire dwindles down to a soft glow, the flames almost completely gone now, Tony casts a longing glance towards the window, ducking his head to try and catch a glimpse of the stars in the sky. Seeing nothing, he sighs and burrows down into the cushions of the couch, tucking one to his chest and willing the ache inside him to go away. 

Tony jolts awake sometime later, blinking around in confusion at his surroundings. He has no idea how long he’s been asleep for, but the fire is completely out now and it’s still dark outside. He rubs a hand across his face with a groan and sits up, wriggling his shoulders to ease the tension lingering there, and then freezes as he hears footsteps approaching the door. 

He barely has time to collect his thoughts or stand up from the couch before the door opens, slowly and far too carefully for the figure stepping inside to be an intruder. 

A gust of freezing air blows into the room and the figure shivers loudly, quickly pushing the door shut. A bag drops to the floor, a coat lands on top of it and a beanie hat is yanked off a mess of curly hair as the figure turns to face Tony, revealing the cold and tired face of Peter. 

''Kid,'' Tony breathes and immediately steps forward to yank him into a hug. 

''Hi,'' Peter whispers, returning the hug with equal strength and burying his face into Tony’s shoulder. ''Didn’t think you’d still be up.''

''Didn’t think you’d be showing up,'' Tony replies, lifting a hand to Peter’s curls and running his fingers through them softly, the softness of them enough to finally convince him that this is real. ''What happened to getting your work done?''

''I did get it done,'' Peter says, pulling away to look at Tony. ''Did nothing but get it done for the last three days.''

Tony studies Peter carefully, really takes in the shadows beneath his eyes and the exhausted slump of his shoulders. ''Jesus, Pete, when was the last time you slept?''

''Uh…'' Peter begins and that’s enough for Tony. 

''Yeah, time for bed, kiddo.''

''No, wait,' Peter says through a yawn, weakly pointing towards the Christmas tree nestled in the corner of the room beside the fireplace. ''I need to appreciate the Christmas vibes.''

''What, they don’t have those at college?'' Tony asks, steering Peter towards the couch, determined to get him to at least sit down if nothing else. 

''Not like this,'' Peter groans as he sinks into the cushions. ''Nothing beats this.''

Tony thinks of tomorrow morning, the image of Morgan flying in to wake him and Pepper shifting and flickering until Peter comes into view as well, wearing his pyjamas and running in after her. 

''I gotta agree with you there, bud,'' Tony smiles as he sits down beside Peter, automatically lifting an arm so Peter can wedge himself into his side. ''Does May know you’re here?''

''No,'' Peter yawns again, his head falling onto Tony’s shoulder. ''Gonna be a surprise for her tomorrow.''

''A proper Christmas miracle.''

''Mmm,'' Peter hums sleepily, his body going lax as the tiredness fully sweeps over him. He nuzzles his cheek against the material of Tony’s shirt and just like that, all the vicious sharpness and bitterness that’s been dwelling in Tony’s heart vanishes without a trace, leaving nothing but a tingling excitement and a thrumming love for the boy starting to snore softly beside him. 

Determined as he is to have that image in his head come to life tomorrow morning, Tony knows he’ll have to wake Peter soon and pack him off to his own bed. But right now, he wants to savour this moment, stay right here and soak it up and let it wind into the marrow of his bones, right where all the other moments of precious happiness that he treasures linger too. 

Right here, all the glories and pitfalls of adulthood don’t matter, because for a wonderfully special moment in time, Peter is still a kid, still young enough to want to rush home to his family and treat Christmas with all the magic and wonder that it should be. 

Right here, they’re together, and that’s the best present Tony could ever ask for. 

With a wide yawn of his own, Tony brushes his fingers through Peter’s curls once more before pressing a kiss to them, smiling as the kid grumbles something incoherently in his sleep. 

''Merry Christmas, Underoos.''

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
